


A Reborn Harry's Introduction to the Wizarding World

by vanessa_croyt



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Apathetic Harry, Au of a fic, BAMF Harry, But not really bashing, Dark Harry, Gen, Jaded Harry, Master of Death, Mature Harry, Mild Dumbledore Bashing, Other, Powerful Harry, Rebirth, Since it aligns with canonical Dumbledore's characterization, Smart Harry, The fic is called Eternal Hilarity by Luxis, The relationship won't happen until later, Twoshot, but not really, cynical harry, hi Luxis you're my IDOL and I think you're brilliant, it's AMAZING and you should check it out, low-key angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-31
Updated: 2018-10-31
Packaged: 2019-08-09 10:10:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,478
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16447868
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vanessa_croyt/pseuds/vanessa_croyt
Summary: Harry Potter, Master of Death, decided to revist his first life out of sheer curiosity. This time, he's determined to not allow Dumbledore and his men to sway him over so easily. For, Harry is not the same naive boy he once was-- not by a long shot.





	1. First Impressions

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Luxis](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Luxis/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Eternal Hilarity](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16104623) by [Luxis](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Luxis/pseuds/Luxis). 



> Luxis is my idol, and I honestly admire her writing so much.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just realized that I forgot to add a clarification note: this fic was inspired by Luxis's work, called Eternal Hilarity. I read her chapter 6 and basically went, 'what if Harry wanted to be on better terms with Snape?' and things spiraled downhill from then on until I --woops-- wrote this twoshot. 
> 
> You should go check out Eternal Hilarity since it's one of THE most amazing pieces on ao3. It's the perfect balance of humor, mild smut, premise intrigue, and plot. Plus, the writing is super clean, grammatically correct, and is done overall very beautifully. Love Luxis, she's such an underrated author!

Harry was tired of his dreary, meaningless existence as the Master of Death. It had been an exhausting millennia, and he was ready to take a break. After telling his companion, Death, about his situation, Death recommended that he take a brief sabbath.

The proposal seemed to be a good idea; Harry had been pining for a well-deserved respite for some while now. Given that he'd accept Death's suggestion, there remained one additional question to be addressed: how should he take his vacation?

Harry mulled over possible answers to that question for almost a full month before coming to a conclusion.

The thing was, he'd had an awful time in his first life. Harry had always regretted his decision to blindly trust Dumbledore. Sometimes, he wondered how things would have been if he hadn't been given such a biased and Light-inclined introduction to the Wizarding World all those years back.

So, Harry eventually decided that he'd take a trip back in time. All he wanted was to relive that encounter, and see how things would go this time.

With that conviction in mind, Harry donned his Master of Death cloak and boarded the Rebirth Express to return to his first life's universe.

\----------

"Good afternoon, Mr. Dursley. I am Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster at Hogwarts school of magic--"

"How DARE you say those words in my house?!" Vernon bellowed. Harry could imagine the man turning purple at the mention of the m-word. "You freaks! I know you! You're the one who forced the boy onto our hands. Well let me tell you-- he's useless! We swore to beat the freakishness out of him, and look at what happened!"

"What did you say?" The voice of Snape said in a dangerously soft voice.

"We would beat the freakishness out of him! We don't want your kind!" Vernon shouted back.

"You wanted to abuse him?" Snape hissed with barely contained fury.

"Now, Severus, surely Vernon is exaggerating in his anger--"

Dumbledore was cut off by the sound of Severus storming inside. Harry heard him searching through the house for Harry before the footsteps stopped before Harry's cupboard.

"Dursley, don't tell me you kept him in here." Snape threatened, still standing outside the cupboard.

"See for yourself!" Vernon yelled.

Snape blasted open the door, forsaking the locks. When the dust cleared, he saw a terrified-looking boy hunched at the furthest corner of the cupboard, cowing behind the threadbare mattress. Snape's physically caught his breath in horror at the sight, and he felt like his heart had been twisted by a knife when he realized that the boy's green eyes --Lily's eyes-- were staring in fear at him.

"A-are you mad at me too?" Lily's boy breathed.

Snape swallowed. "No, I'm not. I'm sorry for scaring you. I am Professor Snape, and behind me is Headmaster Dumbledore." He said in a voice softer than Harry had ever heard.

"Are you here to help me then?" He said hopefully.

Snape felt something break inside him. "Yes." He managed to choke out, wanting to slap himself for never investigating how Harry was treated even after Lord Diabolus had told him.

Harry inched forward tentatively. When Snape didn't react, Harry timidly stretched out a hand and clutched Snape's arm tightly. "Thank you." Harry whispered.

Harry was being genuine with his gratitude. He could tell that Snape truly was remorseful over his assumptions regarding Harry, and was also furious with himself for not keeping Harry safe. For this, Harry wanted to express that he was glad Snape cared.

"Harry, my dear boy." Albus said with a twinkle in his eye as he appeared to the side. Harry had to resist the urge to sneer at Albus's attempt at endearments and instead hid behind Snape, still holding tightly onto him.

"Albus, perhaps this is a bit too much for a boy to take in all at once." Snape cautioned, sensing Harry's trepidation. A surge of protectiveness flared up within Snape at the sight of Harry shielding himself.

"I understand, Severus, but I want Harry to know that we're here to help." Albus said soothingly.

Harry straightened at this and stepped out from behind Snape. His eyes were unnaturally hard. "You're not here to help." He stated with a certainty.

"Harry?" Albus said uncertainly. "What do you mean?"

Harry, who was still holding on to Snape's arm, only continued to glare at Dumbledore. "I remember you." He said shortly, fingers tightening at the memory of Dumbledore dropping him off at the Dursleys.

"My boy, I don't think we've met before--"

"We have. You were the one who helped the big man take me from Mother and Father's house and abandoned me at Aunt and Uncle's doorstep. I remember how you barely glanced at me, tossed a note on my blanket, and left me in the night." Harry said angrily. "The big man and the cat lady were at least was sad for me, but you didn't care."

Albus stumbled backwards in shock. "Harry?"

Snape looked at Harry with concern. "How do you remember this?"

"I have very, very good memory." Harry said earnestly.

"Harry, could you please look at me?" Dumbledore pleaded.

Harry almost hit the old man. He was going to use Legilimency on him! Harry decided to play along, calling to the forefront of his brain the memory of Dumbledore leaving him at the Dursleys. For dramatic effect, Harry suddenly fell back, clutching his mind and wailing.

"What are you doing to me?" He cried, pressing his hands to his temples and screwing his eyes shut. "My head feels funny and my thoughts are weird!"

Snape instantly knew what was going on, and he stepped between Harry and Dumbledore. "Albus, what are you doing?" He demanded, shielding Harry.

"Severus, I don't know what you're--"

"Stop it!" Harry yelled. "When you looked me in the eye, I felt my thoughts change and the memory of me being placed at the Dursley's doorstep resurfacing. That's not normal!"

"Albus," Snape hissed.

"You're here to take me away to the asylum, aren't you? You think I'm mad!" Harry pointed an accusing finger, deciding to make Dumbledore pay for what he did to Tom too.

Dumbledore's face turned ashen. "What did you say?" He said weakly.

"Did the Dursleys send you here to take me away to the hospital and the madhouse too?" Harry shrank away.

"No, Harry, we're wizards. You're not mad; you're magical and a wizard. Your mother and father were both magical, and they were very powerful." Snape reassured Harry.

"I remembered Mother and Father doing strange things back in our house." Harry said thoughtfully. "Is that magic, what I can do?"

"What is it that you can do?" Dumbledore asked, somewhat afraid of what Harry would answer. Inwardly, he was panicking and thinking of how Tom had answered the question.

"All sorts of things." Harry said with relish. "For instance, I can talk to snakes. Is that normal?" Harry cocked his head to the side innocently, still clutching onto Snape.

Dumbledore visibly paled. "I... I'm afraid I can't say so, Harry."

Snape saw the look of suspicion and distrust flash across Dumbledore's features and was furious. Harry was just an eleven-year-old boy! Distrust for being a Parselmouth was simply unfair and prejudiced.

"Harry, speaking to snakes is called being a Parselmouth, and the language is Parseltongue. Salazar Slytherin, one of the four founders of Hogwarts, was a Parselmouth. It is a great honor." He said firmly.

"Really?" Harry said dubiously. "The Headmaster didn't seem to happy. I think I should keep it secret."

"It's your choice, Harry." Snape said gently.

Harry shook his head. "I don't want other people to hate me too. Clearly, the Headmaster doesn't like the skill."

Dumbledore winced. "My apologies. My reaction was somewhat out of line. Besides, they won't hate you, my boy. In fact, you are the Boy-Who-Lived." Dumbledore said reassuringly.

Harry eyed Dumbledore with caution. "Is that because of the snake man who shot green light at me even after Mother told him to not?"

Snape held on tighter to Harry. "You remember that?" He asked, his voice shaky.

"Yes. He killed Father first, and Father told Mother to run, but neither had the things that they called wands. Mother hid me in the nursery, but the snake-like man found us easily. He told Mother than she needn't die, and he asked her three times to step aside. She didn't though, so the snake-like man shot green light at her and she fell. He shot the same green light at me, but then I passed out. When I woke up, I was in that man's hands." Harry pointed at Dumbledore.

Snape was reeling. The factual tone of Harry's as he recounted his parents' deaths held an underlying sadness, but it was clear that Harry had been through so much that he had matured beyond his years. Snape could only imagine what it was like to have such a good memory that you could recall in detail your parents' murder.

"The snake-like man is Lord Voldemort. Harry, you are famous and considered the Boy-Who-Lived because Voldemort fell from power and vanished that night." Dumbledore said gently.

Harry only looked at Dumbledore inquisitively. "I don't think I'm famous. If I was, why was I left here for years and no one cared to check on me?"

Dumbledore looked pained. "Ah, that. My dear boy, that is a story for later."

Harry looked unimpressed. "Is there a way I can get them to stop calling me Boy-Who-Lived then? Because that name reminds me of how Mother and Father are the Parents-Who-Died."

Snape felt his heart twist again at Harry's words and Albus looked equally stricken. "I'll make sure they don't call you that." He promised, pulling Harry close.

Dumbledore cleared his throat after a moment of silence, struggling to maintain his grandfatherly twinkle. "Harry, did you receive your Hogwarts letter?"

Harry shook his head and jutted his chin towards Vernon, who was slinking off to the side. "Uncle took it."

Dumbledore procured another copy and handed it to Harry. While Harry was reading through the list, Petunia walked in.

"You!" She shrieked, pointing at Snape.

"Petunia." Snape sneered, walking towards her, his robes billowing. Harry almost laughed; this was the classic Snape robe-flourish that he'd missed so much.

"You-- you freak! I thought you had enough when you took Lily with you to that school!" She yelled shrilly.

"And I thought you had enough of your petty jealousy when you wrote to Albus and begged to be let into Hogwarts, a school for freaks." Snape narrowed his eyes. Harry actually snorted in glee at this. Vernon was staring at Petunia in shock and horror.

"P-Petunia?" Vernon stammered.

"I didn't--" She began.

"Yes you did. We caught you. And just because you could not perform magic does not give you permission to spew hate upon your nephew who can. He is your family, and you neglected him. You're a disgusting excuse of a human being, and I hope to never see you again." Snape snarled. He glanced down and was surprised by the look of gratitude on Harry's face. Harry was truly amazed by Snape's takedown of Petunia. He made mental note to go easier on Snape during his bouts as Lord Diabolus.

After Vernon yanked Petunia into a separate room, Albus turned back to them. "Harry, we'll be purchasing your supplies soon." He nodded.

While they waited for Dumbledore, who had taken a bathroom break, Snape pulled Harry aside. "Potter, did the Dursleys physically harm you?"

Harry shook his head. "They just made me do all the chores and lock me up without food in my cupboard if I did something wrong."

Snape gritted his teeth. "Those despicable little…"

Harry gave him a small smile. "That's all right. I managed to stop them from hurting me or calling me freak too much. I--" Harry paused, pretending to look ashamed and worried. "--I have something to confess."

Snape furrowed his brow slightly. "What do you mean?"

"I sometimes used my freakishness to stop them." Harry said in a rush. "Uncle was going to hit me and I was so mad, and I don't know what happened but he stopped like he'd been forced to."

Snape was silent for a moment. "It's not freakishness, what you did. It was magic, and don't ever call yourself a freak."

"Okay, Professor Snape." Harry smiled. He was fairly certain that he'd won Snape's allegiance by now.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just realized that I forgot to add a clarification note: this fic was inspired by Luxis's work, called Eternal Hilarity. I read her chapter 6 and basically went, 'what if Harry wanted to be on better terms with Snape?' and things spiraled downhill from then on until I --woops-- wrote this twoshot. 
> 
> You should go check out Eternal Hilarity since it's one of THE most amazing pieces on ao3. It's the perfect balance of humor, mild smut, and plot. The writing is super clean too!
> 
> Happy Halloween!

Once Dumbledore was back from the loo, Harry immediately rounded upon the old man to continue his bout of fun.

"Is there a way I can get them to stop calling me Boy-Who-Lived then? Because that name reminds me of how Mother and Father are the Parents-Who-Died."

Snape felt his heart twist again at Harry's words and Albus looked equally stricken. "I'll make sure they don't call you that." He promised, pulling Harry close.

Dumbledore cleared his throat after a moment of silence, struggling to maintain his grandfatherly twinkle. "Harry, did you receive your Hogwarts letter?"

Harry shook his head and jutted his chin towards Vernon, who was slinking off to the side. "Uncle took it."

Dumbledore procured another copy and handed it to Harry. While Harry was reading through the list, Petunia walked in.

"You!" She shrieked, pointing at Snape.

"Petunia." Snape sneered, walking towards her, his robes billowing. Harry almost laughed; this was the classic Snape robe-flourish that he'd missed so much.

"You-- you freak! I thought you had enough when you took Lily with you to that school!" She yelled shrilly.

"And I thought you had enough of your petty jealousy when you wrote to Albus and begged to be let into Hogwarts, a school for freaks." Snape narrowed his eyes. Harry actually snorted in glee at this. Vernon was staring at Petunia in shock and horror.

"P-Petunia?" Vernon stammered.

"I didn't--" She began.

"Yes you did. We caught you. And just because you could not perform magic does not give you permission to spew hate upon your nephew who can. He is your family, and you abused him. You're a disgusting excuse of a human being, and I hope to never see you again." Snape snarled. He glanced down and was surprised by the look of awe and gratitude on Harry's face. Harry was truly amazed by Snape's takedown of Petunia. He made mental note to go easier on Snape during his bouts as Lord Diabolus.

While Vernon yanked Petunia into a separate room, Albus turned back to them. "Harry, we'll be purchasing your supplies soon." He nodded.

"Is it all right if I go with Professor Snape instead?" Harry said innocently, slipping his other hand into Snape's.

Dumbledore gave a strained smile. "That would be fine, but I am your magical guardian."

"Are you really?" Harry said coldly, his gaze suddenly cutting. "I don't know about the wizarding world, but with non-wizards, the term 'guardian' means that the person is responsible for their ward and cares for them." Inwardly, Harry was fuming. Dumbledore hadn't been Harry's guardian since Harry was four and made his trip to Gringotts, claiming his Lordship titles.

Dumbledore looked confused. "Yes, that's what 'guardian' means in our world too."

"Odd." Harry said coolly. "You're my guardian, but you never took me in, checked to see that I was doing all right, or even told me that I was a wizard. Funny, really, that you claim responsibility when you've only neglected and hindered me."

Snape felt a strange flicker of vindictiveness at Harry's words. He couldn't help but agree with Harry's distrust of Dumbledore, something that he and Harry shared.

"Harry, I am legally your guardian." Dumbledore said, twinkle gone.

"I don't know about that. How about we check when we enter the wizarding world? I'd like to see these legal records." Harry said dubiously.

"We could check at Gringotts." Snape offered. To his surprise, a look of… fear? crossed Dumbledore's features.

Once they'd apparated into Diagon Alley, Snape pulled Dumbledore aside while Harry was getting his wand fitted. "What's wrong Albus?" He asked in a low voice.

"What do you mean, Severus?" Dumbledore asked pleasantly.

"You didn't want him to check Gringotts." Snape said as a statement, not a question.

Dumbledore winced almost imperceptibly, but Snape's sharp eyes caught the motion. "It's for his own good."

They were interrupted by Ollivander presenting Harry with another wand. There was a pile of rejected wands to the side.

"Holly and phoenix feather, eleven inches, an unusual combination."

Harry had to actively stop his facial features from betraying his relief at Ollivander finally pulling out the wand he wanted. Readying himself for the spark that the wand would emit, he was surprised when the wand shook violently in his hand and split open with a bang. When he opened his eyes again, he saw the shreds of the holly wood on the ground, but the phoenix feather had curled around his hand.

"Fascinating." Ollivander breathed excitedly. "Your magic rejected the wand wood, but not the core."

He dragged Harry into the workshop area of the store. There were rows and rows of different types of wood. Upon Ollivander's suggestion to feel with his magic for the right wand wood, Harry did so and frowned when two different woods flew into his fingers. He pointedly ignored the look of surprise on Snape and Dumbledore's faces when he used his magic to sense woods.

"You magic has chosen blackthorn and English oak, Mr. Potter." Ollivander peered into Harry's eyes.

"I didn’t know that you could have more than one wand wood." Harry said truthfully.

"It's very rare, but not impossible. English oak seeks wizards with a strong affinity with magic of the natural world, and it was said that Merlin himself had a wand of this Winter Solstice wood. Interestingly, there is a superstition that holly and English oak are incompatible. The other wood, blackthorn, bears a prodigious power well-suited for warriors and an inclination towards the Dark Arts. Both these woods are meant for extraordinarily, magically strong wizards, and when considering the phoenix feather's power as a wand core… this is most interesting, Mr. Smith. The phoenix that provided this feather gave just one other, forming a brother wand to yours. That wand claimed none other than Lord Voldemort as its owner." Ollivander finished in a hushed voice.

Harry did his best to act surprised and properly horrified. "I don't know if I want to be like Lord Voldemort, Mr. Ollivander."

"Mr. Potter, Lord Voldemort did great things with his wand… terrible, but great."

On that uncomfortable note, Harry returned to the waiting area of the shop just as a couple other customers trickled in. Dumbledore was still looking at Harry suspiciously. The dark nature of Harry's wand woods made him want to balk.

"Is there something wrong, Headmaster?" Harry said innocently.

"Nothing, my dear boy." Dumbledore said with false cheer.

Harry stopped and looked at him. "Headmaster, is it because the wand woods are dark?" He said shrewdly. Snape was mildly surprised by Harry's perceptive nature.

"Not quite, Harry." Denied Dumbledore.

"I don't like being lied to, Headmaster." Harry levelled a piercing gaze to Dumbledore. "But to answer your suspicions, let me remind you that I am a boy. Light and Dark affinities have no effect on whether I will choose to be a good person or not. Natural affinities do not determine my worth; surely you wouldn't see the world in such biased, narrow-minded black and white." Harry said scathingly.

"Of course not." Dumbledore said, slightly irritated by Harry's tone.

"Glad to hear that we agree on at least that, sir. Honestly, countless psychology studies will tell you that upbringing and the way people are treated will affect their personality and morals the most." Harry said with a knowing look. "For instance, treating a child with disgust and distrust whether it's warranted or not will teach the child that doing good needs are in vain because they cannot change the attitudes of others."

"Ah." Dumbledore said uncomfortably. Harry's cool tone was reminding him forcibly of Tom. He was spared from saying anything else when they arrived at Gringotts.

Harry pulled on his oblivious child act for Snape and Dumbledore's benefits, and he knew that Griphook, who greeted them, was fully aware of what Harry was doing. Right before they were about to head down to Harry's vaults, Harry paused and turned to Griphook.

"Griphook, Professor Snape said that I could check to see if Dumbledore really is my magical guardian or not." Harry said innocently.

"Certainly, Mr. Potter." Griphook bared his teeth in a smile, sensing that Harry had something up his sleeve. "Interesting. Your records say that Dumbledore is not your magical guardian, and has not been since you were four."

"Really? But he said he was just earlier today." Harry's eyes widened in false shock, but Snape was genuinely surprised.

"That's quite odd, Mr. Potter, since we've sent multiple missives from the bank to remind him that he is not your guardian. The missives were all opened, too, since we spell our memos to burn until read by the recipient." Griphook said with a devious smirk.

"I didn't know that. Why did you lie to me again, Headmaster?" Harry said with childish innocence.

"I thought that something was wrong, Harry. I couldn't believe that a four-year-old was emancipated." Dumbledore shot back.

"But you didn't take it up with the bank, choosing to commit line theft instead?" Griphook snarled. "And Dumbledore, Gringotts does not make mistakes. If you had asked, you would have found out that a combination of pureblood, goblin, and wizarding laws make Harry a legal adult. Because you are neither his guardian nor someone he has given explicit consent to know this information, I will not disclose which specific regulations emancipate him."

"I'm only concerned for Harry's safety, Griphook." Dumbledore said placatingly.

"Are you, Headmaster? I don't recall you coming to see if I was safe when my Aunt and Uncle made me do all the chores since I was old enough to barely reach the stove. I don't recall you checking if I was safe when they beat me, starved me, locked me in a cupboard, and told all the teachers and neighbors that I was mentally ill and dangerous. I don't recall you making sure I was safe when my magic was the only thing healing my fractured bones and cuts." Harry said coldly. Snape sucked in his breath at Harry's words, protectively grasping Harry's shoulder.

The rest of the shopping trip was spent with very little interruptions from Dumbledore, having been effectively slapped into silence by Harry's words. Harry got an expandable money pouch warded and keyed to him, and connected directly to his bank so he didn't have to keep withdrawing amounts. He also bought several advanced magic books, and when Dumbledore looked at Harry inquisitively for it, Harry just assured him that he was a very fast learner. When it was time to return to the Dursleys, Snape made sure to cow Petunia and Vernon before he left.

\----------

Severus stumbled into his office and collapsed in his chair. He buried his head into his hands, overwhelmed by everything he'd learned today. Never had he loathed himself more when he saw the neglected, terrified state of Lily's boy-- no, the state of Harry. Harry was his own person; that much had been clear. Today, his judgement of Albus Dumbledore had been greatly shaken too.

McGonagall chose that moment to enter Severus's office. "The house elves told me to let you know that your potion labs have been cleaned-- what's wrong, Severus?"

Snape raised his head from his hands and gave Minerva a look of complete sorrow. "Minerva, I went with Dumbledore to take Harry shopping for his school supplies today."

"You mean James and Lily's boy?" She perked up.

Snape sighed heavily and nodded. "Do you want to know what he's been up to?"

McGonagall chuckled. "Is he up to the same antics that James was?"

Snape gave her a sharp look. "That couldn't be further from the truth. Albus Dumbledore abandoned him at the doorstep of the Dursleys, remember? And those awful people abused him. They worked him worse than a house-elf, beat him, belittled him, told him he was a freak… Minerva, the boy didn't even know what the wizarding world was! He was locked inside a tiny cupboard all his life. And when I came, he looked at me with such fear, thinking that I would hurt him like all the other adults in his life had too. When he found out that I was here to help, oh Merlin, he was so heartbreakingly happy that someone came to lift him from the hellish household that his relatives had trapped him in.

And Minerva, he remembers the night that James and Lily died. I suspect he has eidetic memory, and he told us with such a sad, detached voice exactly what happened that night. Can you imagine hearing your father's last words, telling your mother to run? Can you imagine knowing and remembering your mother throwing herself in front of a killing curse for you? Can you imagine seeing the Dark Lord and your parents' murderer point his wand at your forehead and utter the killing curse? My God, Minerva, he's been through so much.

Do you know what also broke me? The fact that Albus had known. He knew about all this, and even if you deny that, he should have at least checked on Harry, but he didn't. Not once. All those times he told me Harry was safe… he was lying. And do you know what else he lied about? He kept saying that he was Harry's magical guardian, that he knew best and had the legal authority to forbid us from visiting him. In reality, he hasn't been Harry's guardian since Harry was four. He essentially committed line theft, and he'd prevented us from checking on him. What is Albus playing at?" Snape finished, distraught.

Minerva's eyes were watering and her jaw dropped. "By Gryffindor's mane…" She said shakily. "I always thought he was safe."

"So did I." Severus said with a dead look in his eyes.

"I think Dumbledore had his reasons, but nonetheless, I acknowledge that Harry has undergone horrors." Minerva said sadly.

"That's the thing, Minerva. Harry is something completely unexpected, someone starkly different from both parents and far more mature than anyone else his age. I can see streaks of mischief at times, but that's about all there is to match his age. No matter. I will accept him no matter what he's like-- can you promise me you will too?"

Minerva was silent for a moment as she thought about Harry. "Of course, Severus." She said softly.


End file.
